Critical Analysis Of Mrs. Mallard

Josephine is concerned that when Mrs. Mallard has herself locked in her room will make her sick. However, she is not grieving and taking in the disturbing news she received, but thinking about how great her future life will be. “There was something coming to her and she was waiting for it, fearfully…She was beginning to recognize this thing that was approaching to possess her…When she abandoned herself a little whispered word escaped her… She said it over and over under her breath: ‘free, free, free’” (19-20). The reader knew about the actual feelings that Mrs. Mallard is having regarding her husband’s death, while others such as Josephine, believed that she is fraught from the news that was given to her. Mrs. Mallard dies when she experiences the shock from seeing her husband alive at the door. When the doctors came, “they said that she had died of heart disease—of the joy that kills” (21). We clearly know that Mrs. Mallard is not even close to being nearly full of joy. This is dramatic irony because the reader knew that the main character was having different hopes and emotions but the other characters such as the doctors did not really know the cause of her death. This is important because it shows how husbands take care of their families and expect their spouses to love and care for them in return. Mrs. Mallard was not grieving the way others was expected her to feel; she cried for joy and happiness. Because

The short story The Story of an Hour, by Kate Chopin, describes a woman conflicted with the death of her husband and her outlook on life after his assumed passing. Through the story, Chopin shows the transformation of Mrs. Mallard from that of an ordinary wife to that of a woman cherishing her newfound freedom. Although Mrs. Mallard is deeply saddened at the news of her husband’s passing, she finally begins to feel a sense of relief and witnesses what it means for her as a woman. Just as she begins to fully cherish her life, she is horrified at the sight of her “dead” husband’s return and proceeds to perish. Through the use of imagery and syntax, Chopin illustrates the interchanging psychoanalytic perspective of an individual following a personal loss.

When Mrs. Mallard hears the news of her husband’s death she weeps and feels abandoned while she falls

As any woman would, Mrs. Mallard initially “wept at once, with sudden, wild abandonment,” (227) at the news of her husband’s death. Her weeping almost seems forced as Mrs. Mallard’s true character is revealed later on. She is described as “young, with a

Josephine, who is her sister, is concerned that she may be harming herself and is persistent in her quest to be admitted to the room. The entire story is centered on saving Mrs. Mallard right from the time the breaking of the sad news of her husband's demise had to be done in a way that would not be fatal to her up to the time when her husband returns home and Richard tries to shield her from seeing her husband from the fear that she will suffer an attack due to the huge surprise (Berkove 153).

Initially, Mrs. Mallard reacts with great sadness over the news of her husband’s death. Knowing that Mrs. Mallard suffers from “heart trouble”, Josephine, Mrs. Mallard’s sister decides to “hint” her the news of Brently’s death in “broken sentences”. Josephine assumes that Mrs. Mallard “[loves]” her husband, and naturally

Upon hearing the news, Mrs. Mallard is overwhelmed with grief, which swiftly turned into hope. Mrs. Mallard’s reaction upon receiving the news of her husband 's death is considered to be unusually by society’s standards. In the beginning of the story it is revealed that Mrs, Mallard suffers heart problems; however, when it is revealed that her husband is dead her heart is relieved. She was thrilled that she was able to be her own person again. It was revealed through her reflection on her marriage that she “had loved him - sometimes” (16). Mrs. Mallard overcame is quick to overcome her grief after the realization that she has been set free of her horrible marriage. As a married woman, Mrs. Mallard is miserable, but as a widow she feels a sense of relief that she is free of her marital vows. At the end of the story Mrs. Mallard dies of a failing heart which it ironic because typically a woman would be filled with joy to find out

In the short story, “The Story of an Hour,” author Kate Chopin presents the character of Mrs. Louis Mallard. She is an unhappy woman trapped in her discontented marriage. Unable to assert herself or extricate herself from the relationship, she endures it. The news of the presumed death of her husband comes as a great relief to her, and for a brief moment she experiences the joys of a liberated life from the repressed relationship with her husband. The relief, however, is short lived. The shock of seeing him alive is too much for her bear and she dies. The meaning of life and death take on opposite meaning for Mrs. Mallard in her marriage because she lacked the courage to stand up for herself.

The irony of Mrs. Mallard’s response to the news of her husband’s death lies in the fact that her reaction did not constitute what a common reaction to death entails: extreme disbelief, prolonged heartache, and violent hysterics. When her sister Josephine breaks the news to Mrs.

The Story of an Hour by Kate Chopin is the tale of an older woman named Louise Mallard, whose sister comes over to tell her that her husband was killed in a train accident. At first she seems devastated and she sullenly goes upstairs and stands by the window of her house and contemplates the events of the day. Only later for her to realize after sitting upstairs that she is overjoyed and elated that she is in her words, “Free! Body and soul free”(Chopin 2).Later on Louise Mallard dies of a heart attack only an hour after her husband supposedly dies of a heart attack because her husband walks through the door, and once she sees that he is indeed alive she is overwhelmed

Reaction to the Character of Mrs. Mallard in The Story of an Hour by Kate Chopin

Kate Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour” explores the depth of a woman’s reaction to her husband’s death. The story begins with Mrs. Mallard learning of the death of her husband. Her reactions is that of a typically woman which is, sorrowful. Later, as she sits looking out a window in her room, she then goes into deep thought about her situation and discovers that she can now live life in a way that pleases her. Only to be disappointed, an hour later she finds that her husband is yet alive and immediately clasped at the sight of her husband and dies from a heart disease condition called “joy that kills”.

The Story of an hour written by Kate Chopin is the best short-story because theme, characters, point of view, and style show the attitude that some women felt or may feel regarding marriage being repressive in their life and a longing for freedom. The story opens with Mrs. Mallard’s sister Josephine informing her that her husband has been killed. Because of Mrs. Mallard’s heart condition Josephine and Richards, who is a friend of the family and there to help deliver the news, are concerned with how the news will affect Mrs. Mallard. When Mrs. Mallard hears the news to is over taken with grief and locks herself in her room. While in her room she imagines herself in her new life that is no longer bogged down by her duties as a wife. When

It is noted that she has heart trouble, and therefore a lot of care needs to be taken in the manner that the news of her husband’s death is broken down to her. Interestingly, as it is later noted at the end of the story, this same worry is what leads Mrs. Mallards to her death bed. Such a scenario is the first evident twist in the story. The health situation of the protagonist is well known. This situation is seemingly very serious such that it was only her sister who would manage to explain the death of her husband in bits, in “in broken sentences; veiled hints that revealed in half concealing” (Chopin, 1).

With any death of a significant-other, the first two emotions that are felt in the story is grief and isolation. These emotions are clearly laid out as Mrs. Mallard “wept at once, with sudden, wild abandonment, in her sister’s arms.” Eventually “the storm of grief” rains